About the 13th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP13)

The Thirteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP13) will be held in Cancún, Mexico, December 4-17, 2016.

The Conference of the Parties is the governing body of the Convention on Biological Diversity, and advances implementation of the Convention through the decisions it takes at its periodic meetings.

To date the Conference of the Parties has held 12 ordinary meetings, and one extraordinary meeting (the latter, to adopt the Biosafety Protocol, was held in two parts).

From 1994 to 1996, the Conference of the Parties held its ordinary meetings annually. Since then these meetings have been held somewhat less frequently and, following a change in the rules of procedure in 2000, will now be held every two years.

Slideshare

Thiago do Val Simardi Beraldo Souza
Chico Mendes Federal Institute for Biodiversity Conservation (ICMBIO), Brazil
José Truda Palazzo, Jr.Divers for Sharks and the Brazilian Humpback Whale Institute, Brazil
December 13 Sharks, Parks and Whales
May we take this opportunity to invite you and other TAPAS members that might be around to our side event on the 13th, "Sharks, Parks and Whales", where we and other Brazilian conservation groups will host an informal conversation on the value of non-extractive uses of marine biodiversity and the continued need to protect these uses from the abuses of extractive industries, overfishing and the like.

Once again, this CoP has too many texts and events about eating marine biodiversity and exploiting it by extraction, and precious little about enhancing non-extractive uses. Time to change that!

Non-Extractive Uses of Marine Biodiversity - through activities such as recreational diving and Ecotourism - generate high-quality jobs and income for coastal communities around the world and put in motion a virtuous cycle of benefit-sharing throughout the national economies where these activities are inserted. There is however little recognition of these values at international treaties, which insist in treating Tourism as an "impact" without examining it vis-a-vis other economic alternatives. This side-event hopes to bring together the community of practice represented at Cancún, government officials, NGOs and other interested parties to discuss case studies and address ways to improve the protection of the rights of non-extratrive users of Nature at CBD and other relevant fora.More on our side-event at https://www.cbd.int/side-events/1959The Pyongchang Declaration of Non-Extractive BusinessesThe Declaration is a call for action by non-extractive businesses from around the world to respect and protect the rights of non-extractive users of biodiversity in the face of rampant unsustainable, extractive uses.NON-EXTRACTIVE-BUSINESSES-DECLARATION-Signed_f1.pdfA declaration from the Dive Industry regarding the importance of living sharks and rays to generate jobs and income in coastal communities.CITES_sample.pdfThe South Pacific Regional Environment Programme´s initiatives on Marine Ecotourism.ecotourism-to-help-conserve-iconic-marine-species-in-the-pacific-islands

Paperless
Sadly, COPs are refusing to go paperless.@brasildeovelhas@CBDNews@COP13MX At #COP13 the Secretariat went paperless but governments and big NGOs didn't. Again an outrageous waste of paper, energy.

Twitter Hashtags

Calendar

Twentieth meeting of the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice (SBSTTA 20), 25 to 30 April 2016
First meeting of the Subsidiary Body on Implementation (SBI 1), 2 to 6 May 2016 Montreal, Canada (link)

Information boards and tables. Bonus points if you can add relevant links
Cancún - including pictures of responsible travel, museums, public transportation and flowering trees

Live and Archived Video Request

Presentations, workshops and side events, particularly those focused on Indigenous Peoples, Responsible Travel and Ecotourism, Biodiversity and Climate Change
Cancún - including videos of city parks, public transportation (take us on the bus!), visit Tajamar

To : All CBD, ABS, CPB National Focal Points Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity United Nations Environment Programme 413 Saint-Jacques Street, Suite 800, Montreal, QC, H2Y 1N9, Canada Tel : +1 514 288 2220 Fax : +1 514 288 6588 secretariat@cbd.int www.cbd.int Ref.: SCBD/OES/BD/DC/CE/85588 22 April 2016 N O T I F I C A T I O N Preparation for the High-level Segment of the Conference of the Parties: Cancun Declaration Dear Madam/Sir, Mexico, as host of the thirteenth Conference of the Parties (COP-13) and concurrent meetings of the Parties to the Cartagena and Nagoya Protocols, in consultation with the Bureau of the Conference of the Parties and the Secretariat, has decided to use the High-level Segment of the meetings to highlight the importance of biodiversity mainstreaming for the achievement of the Aichi Biodiversity Targets and to contribute to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals. Further, it is envisaged that the High-level Segment will adopt a declaration on biodiversity mainstreaming. On the margins of the first meeting of the Subsidiary Body on Implementation (2-6 May 2016, Montreal), representatives of Mexico will be holding informal consultations on the preparation of the declaration with delegates, including through the regional groups. To facilitate these discussions, Mexico has prepared a “non-paper” outlining some possible elements of the declaration. It is being circulated herewith at the request of the Government of the United Mexican States. The non-paper will be made available in the official languages of the United Nations.1 Please accept, Madam/Sir, the assurances of my highest consideration, Braulio Ferreira de Souza Dias Executive Secretary Enclosure 1 https://www.cbd.int/cop/preparation/cop13-hls/default.shtml

NON-PAPER (MEXICO) ELEMENTS FOR POSSIBLE INCLUSION IN "THE DECLARATION OF CANCUN ON THE INTEGRATION OF CONSERVATION AND SUSTAINABLE USE OF BIODIVERSITY FOR WELFARE" Ministers of Environment, Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Tourism countries of the Convention on Biological Diversity meeting in Cancun, Mexico, on December 3, 2016 DECLARE:  ethical argument  Strong political and conceptual message where the commitment is established to integrate conservation and sustainable use of  biodiversity dimension environment, particularly biodiversity, sustainable development, systemic issues, links between biodiversity, quality of life and human health  the role of ecosystems to climate change (mitigation and adaptation)  governance and strong institutions  national Planning holistic and coherence between  objectives public policy (mainstreaming and synergies)  Legislation and  regulations economic sectors  Production, consumption and trade sustainable  Partnerships  objectives of the integration of biodiversity: maximize the contribution of biodiversity and ecosystem services to productive sectors, while reducing and mitigating the negative impacts of these sectors on biodiversity  political commitment RECOGNIZE  Link development agenda 2030 and its Sustainable development Goals with biodiversity for compliance with them  biodiversity includes diversity of living things that inhabit our planet, genetic diversity within species and ecosystems of which they are part, it has a great value for productive activities and a key role for food security and human health, as it can provide solutions to the problems of society  the need to act with urgency to the environmental crisis affecting biodiversity and compromises  human development the role of the CBD and the Strategic Plan for biodiversity 2011 -2020 and its Vision 2050 and the Aichi  the statement of Gangwon and Pyeongchang roadmap (COP-12) UNDERTAKE:  Working together, in all sectors within our governments and organizations integrate the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity strategies, plans and national policies  Strengthen the legal framework and institutions, the role of national and local governments, subnational  national biodiversity strategies and action plans, such as frames  Knowledge policy, science and technology biodiversity for policy formulation and decision making  Means of implementation, capabilities, reporting and monitoring; availability of information to ensure transparency  International Cooperation  Mobilizing domestic and international financial resources, both public and private  Collaboration between organizations of the United Nations, multilateral environmental agreements and  existing initiatives relevance of the CBD to other conventions and agreements  Encourage active participation of all actors of civil society  indigenous peoples and respect for traditional knowledge  private sector, incentives for green growth, biotrade, bioprospecting and sustainable and safe biotechnology as well as regulations and information for accountability  Marco feasibility, regulation and incentives, to promote the integration of biodiversity in public policies, legislation and institutions, as well as in private sector activities through value chains, and work particularly in the following productive sectors:  Agriculture : agricultural systems as reservoirs essential for the present and future agricultural biodiversity; role in food security, nutrition and human health; ecological intensification; the diversity of systems of crops and livestock; efficient use of resources;  Forestry: forests as reservoirs of biodiversity and as suppliers of goods and ecosystem services; landscape approach; sustainable forestry practices; incentives, including payment for environmental services;  Fisheries: fisheries and food security; ecosystem approach to fisheries; restore overfished areas; the generation and use of knowledge and technological innovation for monitoring and management of sustainable fisheries; reduce bycatch, discards and waste; marine protected areas;  Tourism: sustainable tourism as a strategy for local and regional development; tourist services as catalysts for the adoption of practices of sustainable production and consumption; efficiency, innovation and adaptability; promoting the importance of biodiversity, environmental services, traditional knowledge and biocultural wealth between providers and users of tourism. Note: It would be appreciated for any questions, comments or suggestions, contact the Special Adviser of Mexico for COP 13 CBD, Director Alberto Glender, the aglender@sre.gob.mx email or Tel .: 0052 (1) 5512914478

Elsewhere

A few things that would help others make the most of this and other recorded press conferences: 1) the ability to embed the video on other websites, 2) transcript or a public google doc in which a transcript could be created, 3) relevant documents and websites, 4) description of the event, names of the speakers and their Twitter handles and brief bios. Seehttp://flux.live/cop/copvod/public/